On June 23, the Las Vegas Aces faced off against their frenemies, the New York Liberty, with Giannis Antetokounmpo in attendance. With a healthy Sabrina Ionescu back and Breanna Stewart cooking, the Liberty swiped the win right from underneath the Aces. Though Chelsea Gray (11 points, 8 assists) got locked up too many times, A’ja Wilson (16 points, 9 rebounds) and Jackie Young (19 points, 7 assists) kept the Aces’ momentum as hot as they could. But even more excitingly, Cheyenne Parker-Tyus moved with confident efficiency scoring 14 in 17 minutes.
The crowd was amped throughout the game, jeering at the referees for certain calls and roaring whenever threes were made. A particular moment that had everyone on their feet was when a furious Coach Becky Hammon had to be held back by her coaches and Gray. She ended up getting a technical foul for her words, but the reality is Hammon doesn’t play about her players, especially Young.
Outmatched Offense and a Lagging Defense
Despite a few brief surges, the Aces struggled to keep pace in an 87-76 loss to the Liberty, trailing for all but 18 seconds of the contest. The Liberty established control early, building a 9-point halftime cushion behind sharp perimeter shooting and expanding it to 16 by the end of the third quarter following a dominant 20-8 run.
While the Aces found their offensive rhythm in the final frame, shooting 60% from the floor and trimming the deficit to eight; their comeback attempt fell short due to a cold night from beyond the arc (where they shot poorly until the fourth quarter) and a quiet night in the paint, which tied a season-low of 32 points. Additionally, a significant disparity at the free-throw line further stalled Las Vegas’ momentum, as they tied a season-low with just eight attempts compared to New York’s 16.
A Learning Lesson for the Rematch
In the post-game press conference, Coach Becky Hammon viewed the game as a vital “learning point” for her team, emphasizing that “at the end of the day, it’s a game in June” and they need to turn the page quickly. Hammon refuted the idea that her team suffered from complacency, noting that they simply missed good looks and lacked the necessary “sense of urgency from the jump” to match New York’s length and defensive switching.
While she praised Parker-Tyus for stepping up off the bench and dismissed any surprise over Sabrina Ionescu bouncing back because “she’s a world class basketball player,” Hammon noted that her own squad became “a little gun shy” when their jumpers weren’t falling. To counter New York’s heavy defensive pressure on Gray moving forward, Hammon suggested handling the ball “by committee” with Young and Wilson, concluding that the Aces ultimately just need to “be a little bit more intentional on what we were doing offensively.”
An Unworried Wilson Looks Ahead
Meanwhile in the post-game press conference, Wilson brushed off her tough shooting night as “just one of those nights” where she was “shooting some blanks,” but maintained confidence that “there ain’t gonna be too many of these.” Instead of dwelling on the offense, Wilson emphasized that the team needs to look at the defense because “that’s something that we can really, really control,” noting that they had some “defensive slippage” against Liberty’s size.
She explained that the biggest challenge against a defender like Stewart is the mental adjustment, as “switching gears in your mind sometimes can get you in your own head,” but she shared a warm post-game moment with Stewart to discuss the grueling schedule and taking care of their bodies. Ultimately, Wilson is focused on moving forward, concluding that “the beautiful thing about this league is it doesn’t let you get too low at your lows” as they prepare to “turn the page” for their next game against Dallas.
Young Cheers Teammate and Talks Commissioner’s Cup
After addressing a somewhat silly question about her shoe change, Young focused on the tactical challenges presented by the Liberty’s defense, noting she knew the Liberty would “throw some random blitz at me” and that her goal remains to “just try to make the right read out of it.” Despite the defeat, Young praised teammate Parker-Tyus’ 14-point performance, stating she was “really proud of her” because “she puts in work… before practice, after practice” and is aggressively learning the system.
Looking ahead to their upcoming Commissioner’s Cup rematch on the road, Young emphasized that their mistakes are fixable, concluding, “we played hard tonight and we just have to go back and clean up some things, some of the mistakes that we made on the defensive end… now we’ll go back, look at the film and make some adjustments.”
The Las Vegas Aces will face off against the formidable Dallas Wings at home on Thursday, June 25 at Michelob ULTRA Arena.
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